A Little Help From My Friends
by Live.Laugh.Love333
Summary: Tina never believed that by the time she was seventeen years old, her whole life would have done a complete 180. But, she'll always have help from her friends. Full summary inside! Tina-centric; TinaxNew Directions friendship
1. Chapter 1

**Note: My first Glee fic! I've always had a bit of a liking to Miss Tina Cohen-Chang, so I think I'm going to give this a whirl. Please review! So… without further ado, I hope you enjoy!**

**Summary: Tina never believed that by the time she was seventeen years old, her whole life would have done a complete 180. Her once loving father was now a workaholic. Her stay at home mother had recently passed away from breast cancer. And to make it worse, Mike had broken up with her. Add in constant ridicule from Karofsky and Azimio, and Tina's life just got from tough to tougher. However, Tina still doesn't want the attention on her, but her friends just can't help but care.**

**Disclaimer: Yeahhh, don't own Glee. A girl could dream.(:**

For once, Tina Cohen-Chang was glad that summer was over. Summer had been especially rough for her, and she just wanted something to distract her. And, school was the perfect distraction. As she walked down the familiar school halls, she kept her eyes on her combat boots. She counted the steps she took, praying that she would be able to get to class without bumping into anyone who would try and talk to her.

"Tina!"

Too late.

Tina looked up to see Kurt and Mercedes, who ran excitedly to Tina, hugging her with much force. Tina placed a fake smile, trying to mask the pain she was really feeling.

"We haven't seen you in forever girlie! It seems like the last time we saw you was during the… funeral," Kurt said, dragging out the last word in regret.

Funeral.

Her mother's funeral. It was the funeral that had taken place a month and a half ago. Everyone from the Glee Club had come to pay their respects. Tina trembled a little, trying to hold back the discomfort in her throat. Trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. She tried to keep her mind off of that day all summer, but someone always had to mention it. Sometimes it would be her mom's friends from church. They would hug Tina and ramble on and on about how her mother died too young. Other times it would be her father's colleagues. They'd pat Tina awkwardly on the back and tell her that it would be okay. But, all those people bringing up her mother's death just made it worse.

"Tina? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Kurt paused, and Tina snapped out of her reverie.

"It's okay, Kurt," Tina mumbled softly. She added a small, soft smile to seem a bit more convincing. "Let's change the subject," Tina added, with a little more oomph, even though the energy was false.

"How was your summer Mercedes?" Kurt asked, turning his attention on the diva. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen you much either. You didn't get a secret boyfriend on me, did you?"

Mercedes gave a nervous chuckle and squeezed Kurt's shoulder. "Of course not," she chimed. "Why don't we get to class? Don't want to be late on our first day!"

It was the best thing Tina had heard all morning. All she wanted to do was get out of the conversation between her two close friends. She loved them to death, but they just didn't get how she was feeling. And she didn't want to tell them.

She hurried to her first class. AP Calculus. She did a mental checklist in her head on the other Glee members. She already ruled out Kurt and Mercedes. They both had English for their first period. Well, Finn, Puck, and Sam definitely weren't in her class. They hated Math, mostly because they weren't too good at it. Tina knew from all the tutoring sessions she had with the three jocks. Santana and Brittany weren't in AP Calculus either. They usually wouldn't show up for their math class in the first place. Rachel wasn't in her class either. She had sent a text message of her schedule to all the members of New Directions. The fact that she wanted everyone to know where she was during the school day was very Rachel Berry. That had left Artie, Quinn, and Mike.

Well, Quinn wouldn't be trouble at all. The two weren't very close, even though Glee had led them to become better acquaintances. But that was all they were. Just good acquaintances.

Artie. That would be a problem. Artie and Tina were okay from their break up that had happened two summers ago, but Artie was a talker. He would probably ask her all the personal questions that she was asked so many times during the summer. Like, are you okay? Or, how are you holding up? It was just something Tina didn't want to deal with.

Mike. Mike freaking Chang. The other Asian. The ex-boyfriend. They were just a whole bunch of complicated. He had broken up with her a month after the funeral. She couldn't blame him though. She was an awful girlfriend after the funeral. More awful than expected. So, it wasn't much of a surprise to Tina when Mike called it quits.

As Tina entered the AP Calculus classroom, she didn't see a blonde ex-Cheerio, a nerd in a wheelchair, or a certain Asian ex-boyfriend. She just saw a bunch of nameless people who didn't even know her. It was just how she wanted to be for the period. Nameless.

She placed her books under her desk and took a seat. Soon after, the bell rang, and a strict looking old woman entered the classroom. But, Tina already wasn't listening. Funeral memories just couldn't stop from rushing into her thoughts.

"_We're gathered here today in remembrance of a great woman. A great wife. A great mother. A great friend. Stella Cohen-Chang was always known for optimistic_ _attitude in life. She was a strong, confident woman, but at the same time she was soft and loving. We all can agree that she is in a better place, but we will all miss her greatly," the priest began his eulogy. _

_Tina tugged at her black dress. She looked different. Maybe it was the fact that her hair was just her natural hair color, and it didn't have any streaks of bright color. Or, maybe it was the fact that her usually black nails were gone, and replaced with a soft clear. Or, maybe even, it was the fact that her usually happy expression was replaced with a solemn one. _

_She watched as the priest finished his eulogy, and her step-father went up. His light brown hair was messy, even more than usual. His bright, blue eyes seemed empty. Lost. _

"_Stella and I met at an art gallery. She was a recent divorcée, and I was just some single thirty year old who wanted to find meaning in his life. We were both looking at the same painting, but I just couldn't stop staring at her. She was so beautiful. Her hair was black and wavy. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of brown. Right there, I just knew. She was the one for me. It took me another two hours for me to get the courage to ask her out for dinner, but it was worth it. Because the next thing I know, I had a beautiful wife with a beautiful daughter. I'm going to miss you every single day of my life, Stella. But, I'm going to keep that promise I made to you. I'm going to watch over Tina, and I'll be the best father that I can be. I love you, Stella. I love you so much," her father choked out. Tina watched as tears fell down his cheeks, as well as most of the people in the church._

"Tina Cohen-Chang?" a voice called out. It wasn't a part of her memory. It was the teacher calling role.

"Here," Tina said hardly above a whisper. She watched the teacher give a quick, swift nod, before calling the next person on the list.

"Tina? Are you okay?"

Tina turned. It was some random concerned girl.

"You looked like you were about to cry."

"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks though," Tina smiled. The girl seemed to accept the response, and she turned back to face the teacher.

The rest of the class period seemed to hurry along. It was just a bunch of introductions and talk about the syllabus for the course. Because,. before she knew it, the bell rang dismissing her from AP Calculus. It was letting her know that it was time for second period. Then, another bell would wake her from her memories. And then, another. And, soon, it was time for lunch

The dreaded lunch.

"Tina! Over here!" Mercedes exclaimed. She pulled Tina down to the seat next to her. "How was class?"

"Eh. What do you think?" Tina smiled, trying to sound like she hated class and was so relieved it was lunch. Of course, she was feeling the exact opposite.

Mercedes laughed and popped a tot into her mouth. A couple minutes later, Kurt, Finn, and Rachel joined the table. Kurt sat on the other side of Mercedes, while Finn and Rachel, hands intertwined, sat next to each other.

"Hey, Tee? Aren't you going to get something to eat?"

It was Rachel, voicing out her concern for the petite Asian with no food in front of her.

"My dad forgot to give me money in the morning," Tina said. It was true. She did have a couple dollars in her purse, but she just wasn't hungry.

"You want some tots?" Mercedes asked, while pushing some of the tater tots in front of the Goth's nose. "They're yummy," she added in a sing-song voice.

"No thanks," Tina rejected, and Mercedes just shrugged. Rachel, however, stared Tina down. "Um, Finn? Can you tell your girlfriend to stop staring at me please?"

"Rach, maybe you should-"

"Are you anorexic Tina?" Rachel interrupted Finn's words of wisdom, continuing to stare down Tina. "Because, I've noticed you are much skinnier. Have you been eating enough? I know that certain emotions can cause people to stop eating, but that's no excuse to become anorexic. I know your Mother's death probably-"

"What Rachel means is… we just want you to be healthy. Right Rachel?" Kurt asked sharply, sending Rachel a glare of his own. Rachel swallowed nervously and nodded.

But, Tina didn't really hear what Kurt said. The words 'Mother's death' just rang in her ears. Her mother was dead. How long can her day go by without someone mentioning her mom's death? Clearly, not long enough. Tina noticed Rachel's uncomfortable, sheepish frown, Kurt's glares that were probably trying to get Rachel to just stay quiet. Everything was just awkward because they were trying to spare Tina's hurt feelings. Just like how it was awkward with her step-father.

"_Um, Tina?"_

"_Yeah, Dad?" Tina watched her father awkwardly trying to get the right words out of his mouth._

"_You wanna watch a movie? I can pop some popcorn," he said._

_It was Saturday. The first Saturday after the funeral. Saturday was Family Movie Night, when her mom was alive. It seemed only normal that Tina's father wanted to try and continue movie night._

"_Um, sure."_

"_Great. You can choose if you want, Tina."_

"_Thanks," Tina muttered, and she looked at the movies on the shelf. There were so many memories on the movie shelf. When they watched 'The Notebook', all three members of the Cohen-Chang family cried their eyes out. Tina's mom couldn't let that her dad forget that. When they watched 'Scream', Tina's mother would laugh at the fact that Tina and her father were so frightened. Tina rubbed her eyes and finally chose 'Forrest Gump'._

_For a while, movie night went on fine… Until, that is, the part when Forrest's mom was about to die._

"_Can we turn it off?" Tina asked, refusing to look at the screen because all she saw was her own mother in her deathbed. "Please?"_

"_Sure, Tina," he said, reaching for the remote. And the screen turned to black, nothingness. _

_But, Tina couldn't stop the emotion. Not now. And she burst into tears, and the tears led to sobs. She just sobbed and sobbed, while her dad hugged her tightly, joining in the crying. They just sobbed together all night._

_It was the first time that Tina had broken down since her mom's death. And it was the last time that they had their Family Movie Night._

"-And then Blaine kissed me goodnight! Best date ever!" Kurt said excitedly seeming to be yapping on and on. "But, then we had to go on that disaster double date with these two," Kurt added dejectedly pointing as 'Finchel'.

"Hey! Our double date wasn't that bad!" Finn defended, holding Rachel close.

"That bad? At the end of our date, Blaine and I were covered in spaghetti. Thanks again for that, Rachel," Kurt added sarcastically.

Tina tuned out of their conversation again. She was just glad they were done discussing her. Once lunch finishes, all she had to worry about was the Glee Club meeting. But, as long as Rachel talks as long as she usually does, no one would have time to mention anything Tina related.

But, things never really do according to plan, do they?

"Welcome back New Directions! This year, we're going to make sure we win Nationals!" Mr. Schue exclaimed enthusiastically. Many cheers of agreement surrounded the choir room. "So, since it is a new year. It's a year of new beginnings. So, this week's assignment is to find that perfect song that really showcases beginnings. But the twist is, you guys are going to be paired up!"

"I call Finn!" Rachel exclaimed quickly, grabbing onto Finn's arm.

"Sorry, Rachel. But, this is going to be completely random," Mr. Schue said, showing the group a bowl. "So who wants to pick first?"

Rachel stood up, crossing her fingers, and reached inside of the bowl. "Brittany," she said in disappointment.

"I'll go next, Mr. Schue," Artie said, wheeling towards the Spanish teacher. "Santana," he mumbled, looking over at the frightening Latino from Lima Heights.

Kurt followed afterwards, picking Mercedes. And, Quinn went next, picking Sam. That had left Tina, Mike, Finn, or Puck.

Tina watched as Mike slowly went up to the piano. It seemed like forever, but he opened the folded sheet of paper, calling out Puck's name. That had left Finn for Tina.

Finn was always a nice guy. Sure, sometimes he could seem a little bit dumb, but he had a good heart. And he had his moments where he was this smart and wise guy who had the right things to say. Tina didn't realize it until the funeral.

_The funeral ceremony had just ended, and Tina was awkwardly standing around, watching her dad talk to some of the other adults. _

"_Hey, Tina," Finn said, catching her attention. He was wearing a suit, and his tall figure seemed overpowering against Tina's petite frame. _

"_Hi Finn."_

"_I just wanted to say that I know how you must be feeling. When my dad died, it just felt so wrong. You know? I had to deal with all these people saying that they understood how I felt, but they didn't. You don't get how they feel until it actually happens to you. I know it's probably really hard on you right now, but I can say that I understand how you're feeling. So, I won't press the issue any further."_

_Tina watched Finn in shock. He was the first person besides her dad and Kurt to have finally said something she understood. Tina whispered a thank you, and Finn hugged her tightly._

"_I'll always be your friend when you need one," he said before leaving to join his mom._

Why couldn't she stop the memories that she wanted to so badly forget? They just seemed to be flooding at her, like she was Robert Pattinson and the memories were Twilight fans.

She quickly excused herself from the choir room and ran to the nearest restroom. She rushed into one of the stalls, and let everything out.

A flush later, and she was in front of the mirror. Even her own reflection reminded Tina of her mother.

"I miss you so much, Mom," Tina murmured.

And suddenly, she felt the tears just rushing back.

**Note: Yeahh… Eh… I guess this is my poor attempt of a first chapter. Let me know what you think please! Reviews are my love.(:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Thank you for reviews!(: It really means a bunch! I hope you like chapter two! Includes some FinnxTina and a little bit RachelxTina friendship and loads of Tina angst. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yeahh. Once again, I don't own. This girl will keep dreaming(:**

Tina had the house to herself. Again. But that's what happens when you have a Dad that is a workaholic. He worked every opportunity he had. The last time he slept at home was three weeks ago, and that was only for a couple of hours.

The last couple months were lonely. For both Tina and her dad. Tina felt like she had not only lost her mother, but her dad as well.

"_Tina! Where are my keys?" a voice exclaimed frantically. Tina watched her father searching between the couch cushions. "I'm going to be late for work!"_

_Tina sighed. It was one of many times that Tina's dad wouldn't be home at night since Stella's death. He had some "emergency" at the office. Like there was some big emergency at eleven o'clock at night…_

"_Did you check on the dresser?" Tina asked. She watched him leave the room and return, jingling a key ring that held a few keys on it. _

"_Thanks Tee," he hugged the Goth and kissed her forehead. "I don't know when I'll be back, so make sure not to stay up too late, sweetie!" _

_With that, he walked out the door. He didn't even stop to listen to Tina's soft response._

"_I love you, Dad."_

Tina curled against the comforter in front of the television. She blinked, pretending to watch reruns of 'Friends'. It was her dad's favorite television series, and they used to have marathons where they would watch episodes continuously, nonstop. She missed her dad's warm embrace. She missed his blue eyes. She missed the old Cohen-Chang family.

She had just realized how quiet the house was. She could hear the faint sound of Joey Tribbiani's voice coming from the television. Usually, the Cohen-Chang home was never this quiet. But, things change. Now, it's always this quiet.

She felt her phone buzz for the millionth time. She didn't really want to talk to anyone or face the fact that she left Glee Club early. But, she snuck a quick peak at her cell phone. 9 new messages. 3 missed calls. 2 new voicemails.

Tina decided to check the messages. Four were from Kurt. Three were from Mercedes. One was from Rachel. And one was from… Finn? She raised her eyebrow, opening the message curiously.

_Tee, you didn't come back. Just wondering if you are ok. Mssge me back!_

She spent a good ten minutes just staring at the message, not knowing if she should reply or not. She finally opted not to. She would see him at school tomorrow anyway.

Tina turned off her phone and threw it onto the far couch. No more distractions. She focused back to the TV, trying to escape the harsh reality of her life. Because right now, she would do anything to be carefree and happy just like Joey Tribbiani.

Her life wasn't a sitcom with a corny, laugh track, but she found herself wishing that is was.

* * *

><p>Mornings were definitely not Tina's forte. Now, that she had the house to herself, she found it particularly harder to wake up and get herself ready. She sometimes couldn't even get herself out of her bed.<p>

Today was the perfect example for that.

It was eleven in the morning before Tina finally got out of bed. She had missed her first two classes, and she was probably going to miss lunch, too.

Great. She'll probably have to deal with Kurt and Mercedes, and their constant, nosy questions. She loved the pair to death, but sometimes they stuck their nose into all the wrong things. Like Tina's personal life. She just didn't want them to worry about her.

She debated skipping the rest of the school day. Her dad wouldn't even notice, but she had to work with Finn after school on their duet. And, she would have felt guilty to bail out on Finn with such a late notice.

So, she went to school. She put on a fake, cheery smile and pretended that everything was all right.

"Tina."

The deep, masculine voice had startled her, causing her to jump a little. Once she saw that the voice was Finn's, she turned pink from embarrassment.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Finn said, offering an apologetic smile.

"I-It's okay. What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure that we're going to practice the duet after school."

"Yup, we are."

"I guess I can drive you to my house after school. If that's okay with your dad of course."

"My dad wouldn't even care," Tina spat out with bitterness in her tone. Finn awkwardly shifted his weight on one foot and looked to the hallway floor.

"I guess we can meet at my car in the school parking lot when the day's over," Finn proposed, trying to get Tina out of her cold persona.

She merely gave Finn a weak smile and turned away from the muscular football player. She could hear the distinct sound of a bell ringing. She was already late to class, and the first week of school wasn't even over yet. The old Tina would never have been late. The old Tina would have done a lot of things differently. But, the old Tina was gone. She had been replaced by someone else. Someone who always had an ache to her heart. Someone who just wanted to fall to her knees and sob.

Tina had two options at this point. Number one, put on one of her signature fake smiles and go to class. Or, number two… avoid those fake smiles, avoid class, avoid everything.

She closed her eyes, blinking away the tears, and ran towards the girl's restroom. Clearly, choosing option number two.

She wishes that she could be braver. For her mother's sake.

But, her pain always trumped her courage.

* * *

><p>"Tina! Ready to go?" Finn asked as he watched Tina walk towards him and his car. "We just have to wait for Kurt, and we can go."<p>

"Okay. Thanks," Tina muttered out hoarsely.

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, just had a tickle in my throat," Tina assured, but she knew that the time she spent in the bathroom sobbing was the key factor to her sore throat.

"Kurt! Finally! We've been waiting!" Finn exclaimed as he saw the fashionista walk towards him. "Oh, hey Blaine."

"Hi," Blaine smiled. "Sorry. It was my fault we were late."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. But, the two of you are in the backseat. Tina's taking shotgun," Finn announced, getting into the old model car.

Kurt looked at Tina, giving her the famous Kurt stare. Tina uncomfortably shifted and got into the front seat of the car. A few seconds later, Blaine and Kurt got into the back seats.

The car ride was silent. Except for the occasional small talk from Blaine. But, halfway through the car ride, Kurt broke the silence.

"So Tina, where were you last period?" Kurt asked eying Tina from the back. Tina was thankful that she couldn't see Kurt's face. His stares always intimidated Tina a bit.

"I had this huge project I needed to work on," Tina lied through her teeth. And unfortunately for her, Kurt didn't buy it.

"Really… Who's class?"

"Well… Does it matter?" Tina spluttered out. This was going to turn out bad. She just knew it.

"It's just that… It's the beginning of the school year. Who's already assigning you a huge project?" Kurt asked.

"What is this? Interrogate Tina day?" Tina asked angrily. "It's not really any of your business."

"Well… Sorry for caring then," Kurt spat out sarcastically. There is was. Kurt's famous sarcasm. Tina suddenly felt a pang of guilt for snapping at him, but she decided to ignore it and stared out the window. And the silence was back.

But, of course, the silence had to be broken again. This time is was Blaine.

"Wait, so you were at the library last period?" Blaine questioned. Tina couldn't really tell what Blaine was thinking.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because I was at the library last period. I found this great book about Broadway musicals," Blaine stated, showing the book to Kurt, who eagerly grabbed it and started flipping through the pages. But then Kurt looked up from the book and turned his attention back to the Asian Goth ridding shotgun.

"Wait… Did you see Tina?" Kurt asked.

Blaine moved in his seat. "See… That's the thing. I didn't see her…"

"So you just straight out lied to us, Tina," Kurt snapped angrily, but the hurt was evident on his face. "Why'd you lie about where you were?"

"I-I-I… Look Kurt. Last period… I was… I was skipping class," Tina stumbled out. She turned to see Kurt's reaction. Which was pure shock.

"You? Tina Cohen-Chang? Someone who never skipped a class since kindergarten? Youactually skipped a class?" Kurt asked in a bewildered tone. She turned to look at Blaine, but since he didn't know her that well, there wasn't much shock on his face.

"Yeah. I just didn't want to go to class," Tina said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Of course, she was the only one who knew the real reason why she skipped.

"Wow. Never thought I'd see the day you skip," Finn laughed, speaking for the first time.

"Sorry I lied to you Kurt," Tina apologized.

"It's okay, Tina," Kurt smiled. "But, you better not leave me in that class again! I had no one to talk to, and I was worried about you Tee."

"Don't be, Kurt. I'm fine."

Kurt seemed to want to press the issue more, but as Finn pulled into the driveway of their home, he decided to let it go.

"Hey, Tee. Ready to go in?" Finn asked. Tina smiled and nodded quickly. "Great! We'll rehearse in my room."

"Okay," Tina obliged. Tina and Finn entered the bedroom that he and Kurt were sharing. The room was covered with different objects that usually were never seen in the same room. On one side, there were a few trophies with figures posing in some sports stance on top. On the other side, there were Broadway playbills scattered on the nightstand.

"He has a whole lot more. Trust me," Finn said, noticing Tina staring at the playbills. "So, should we get started?"

"Sure."

"So, we have to sing about beginnings… Any ideas?"

"Um… Do you know that one song about the Goo Goo Dolls?" Tina asked. "There's a good song kinda about beginnings."

"What's it called?"

"Better Days."

Finn looked at Tina with a lost expression, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"_So take these words, and sing out loud. Cuz everyone is forgiven now. Cuz tonight's the night that the world begins again_," Tina sang softly, and Finnbobbed his head to the tune.

"We should do it!" Finn encouraged with a bright smile. "You voice sounds good, Tee."

"Thanks Finn,"

"Tina? I know this isn't related to the assignment, but I just want you to know that Mike's an ass," Finn stated, and Tina looked up at him with a surprised look on her face.

"What?" she asked confused.

"Well, you seemed down this week, and if it has anything to do with Mike… I just want you to know that he was a jerk to break up with you a month after… you know…"

"After the funeral?" Tina asked. It had hurt, saying the words out loud.

"Yeah… Don't be too upset over it, Tina. He probably didn't even have a good reason to break up with you… He was probably just scared. The coward…"

"He had a good reason," Tina mumbled, defending Mike. "I wasn't being a good girlfriend to him, Finn. Don't blame him… It was all me. He was there for me everyday until our breakup. He held me when I cried. He held my hand when I felt alone. He was the perfect boyfriend. But, me? Well, I was the opposite. I… I never called. I ignored him. I… Let's face the facts, Finn. I was a total bitch to Mike. So, don't blame him, Finn. If there's anyone to blame, it's me. And only me."

"Don't put yourself down like that, Tina. You were going through a lot. Hell, you're still going through a lot. I want you to know that if you want someone to be there for you… I'm here, Tina."

"I'm fine, Finn," Tina said, putting on a huge smile to prove it. "Let's just get back to the song. Okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Back at home, Tina was missing Finn's company. Her quiet, empty house was much different than Finn's loud, lively home. Finn has Kurt, Burt, and Carole. What about Tina? Well, she had her workaholic father, who still wasn't home. She wasn't bitter or jealous of the Hummel family (they had their fair share of problems too). She just didn't want to be alone. She wanted her dad to come from work early. She wanted to eat dinner with him, an actual real dinner instead of the frozen TV dinners she's been eating for the past two weeks.<p>

Ding dong.

Tina looked up, a little startled. She hardly ever got visitors. She almost had forgotten what her door bell sounded like. Walking towards the door, she prayed that it was her dad, but she knew the chance of that was one in a million. Matter of fact, it wasn't her dad. It was Rachel.

"Hi, Tina. Can we talk?"

"Um. Sure. Do you want to come in?"

"No. It's okay. This will only take a second," Rachel chimed. "Tina… The other day at lunch…"

"Don't worry about it Rachel. Already forgotten."

"No. I just want you to know how sorry I am, Tina. I did not mean to sound so insensitive to your feelings. I'm really sorry. I just want you to understand that I wasn't even thinking about how you'd feel."

"Rachel, it's okay. I'm fine. You don't need to apologize," Tina smiled.

"I wanted to, Tina," Rachel said and peered around Tina. "Is anyone else home?"

"My dad's at work still," Tina shook her head.

"Would you like to stay the night at my house? My dads will be okay with it," Rachel offered with a warm smile.

"I… I don't know, Rachel. Are you sure your parents will be okay with it?"

"My dads love you, Tina. You probably need a real meal in your stomach. Am I right?"

_You have no idea._

"Okay, Rachel. Let me get my stuff," Tina said, finally giving into Rachel's pleas.

"Great!"

Maybe by accepting Rachel's offer to spend the night, Tina was finally taking one step forward. A step forward towards moving on.

**Note: Ehh… Again, this is not as good as I wanted it to be, but please review! Thank you Elphaba Wannabe and GrayAreas for reviewing! I was close to discontinuing this story, but your reviews motivated me a bit! Thank you, loves! Once again, reviews are love!(:**


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